Mitre joints for cabinet doors?

[davee]

I have always used a butt joint (rail and stile) for cabinet doors.  I just made a few cabinet doors using mitre joints with dominos which to me look good.  However, I don't remember seeing many (any?) cabinet doors made with 45 degree mitres. 

Are mitre joints routinely used for cabinet doors?  If not is there a reason?  Or, haven't I been paying enough attention?

 

[PaulMarcel]

Maybe they're not routine, but I've made a couple cabinets with mitered corners on the frame-n-panel doors.  Granted, one of them was silly to do as it sits on my back patio so there's a lot of expansion/contraction going on, but they still look good.  I think the mitered frame looks especially good with raised panels since you get the miter on the frame continuing up the raised edge of the panel.

 

[mouppe]

You don't see mitred doors very often because of the way the joint can open up with the seasonal changes. Any gap is very visible, particularly at the outside edge. With a cope and stick door, the wood expands across the grain which is perpendicular to the joint so no gap.

The one advantage to mitred doors is that the panel groove does not have to be stopped in either the rails or stiles.

Personally, unless the door is dead square I think they look odd as the diagonals are not in line.

 

[davee]

The one advantage to mitred doors is that the panel groove does not have to be stopped in either the rails or stiles.

Thanks for the feedback.  I'm working from a tempory site with only my MFT, 55 saw and 1400 router available (and Domino).  I wanted to eliminate the stopped panel groove and went mitred.  I usually use my MFK700 for the panel groove which is easy to control and stop.  The mitre was definitely more challenging.  As you mention any gap is readily seen - we'll see what it does over time.  They are doors to a shop cabinet so good for experimentation.

 

[mastercabman]

There are a lot of cabinets with miter joints on doors.
It's getting more popular now.
Check out Kraftmaid cabinet website and you will see some sample door with miter joints.
The reason for it,is because of the detail of the rail and stile cannot be copped.
As a example, "pillow" stile doors it just would not work with cope and stick.Or doors with bead on the outside edge and inside edge with other details.

 

[Chris Hughes]

As Mastercabman said, mitered doors are gaining popularity.  Mostly miters provide a more detailed profile.  There are may profiles that are not possible with stick and cope.  The ther advantage is that it is not necessary to set up a coping sled on the router table.  As a process I would prefer to miter.

The weakness of mitered joints is as mentioned, is expansion across the joint.  The key is using the right fastener to bind the corner.  Fortunately for you, you are on a sight that provides the answer, the domino.  A mortise across the miter I have fund, will hold the joint.

 

[davee]

I went with the mitered doors and am very pleased with the result.  For the first two doors built I used the Domino middle tenon width and struggled a bit to keep the frames square when assemblying.  The next sets I used the tightest fit for the domino and they assembed perfectly.  I had seldom used the exact Domino width setting but will certainly do more in the future.